Incoming House Speaker Sam Garrison Revives Public Integrity Committee and Adds Panels on Long-Range Strategy and Digital Security

Florida House Speaker-designate Sam Garrison is bringing back a standing committee devoted to public corruption and creating two new panels, one for long-range planning and another for technology and cybersecurity, according to a memo the Fleming Island Republican sent to House members Thursday night. The changes, first reported by the Florida Phoenix, give the next House a dedicated venue to examine lobbying, financial disclosure and conflicts of interest as Garrison prepares to take the gavel for the 2026 to 2028 term.

The memo set out the committee structure but did not name who will chair or serve on any of the panels.

What Garrison announced

Garrison's memo described three changes to the House's standing committees, the panels that can consider and introduce legislation. A select committee, by contrast, is created for a specific task, and whether it can introduce or vote on bills depends on the action that created it.

The three committees are summarized below.

In the memo, Garrison said he wants committee work to carry more weight. He told members he is committed to making committee time meaningful and wants them to dig into ideas, hear from the public and truly study their colleagues' bills.

"With those goals in mind, we kept most of the current structure and made changes to focus on long-term policy and fiscal impacts, coordination, and emerging issues to help us address problems that extend beyond a single session, term, or time in Tallahassee," Garrison wrote.

A committee focused on public corruption

The new Public Integrity Committee resembles the Public Integrity & Elections Committee that existed under former Speaker Chris Sprowls, who led the House from 2020 to 2022. Beyond public corruption, Garrison said the panel will look at lobbying, financial disclosure and conflicts of interest.

When House members dug into the Hope Florida controversy in 2025, the work fell in part to the House Health Care Budget Subcommittee, a panel that ordinarily writes the health care portion of the state budget and considers health bills that require public spending. That inquiry centered on a $10 million share of a Medicaid settlement that was routed to the Hope Florida Foundation, the charity linked to first lady Casey DeSantis, before the money moved on to political committees. The Phoenix noted that the scandal was uncovered in part by that budget subcommittee.

A standing panel with jurisdiction over corruption, lobbying and disclosure would give the House a permanent home for that kind of oversight, rather than leaving it to committees built for other purposes.

Thinking past the next session

The Policy & Strategy Committee is meant to handle issues that cut across more than one policy area. Its jurisdiction includes long-range planning and fiscal stability, according to the memo.

"I want the House to consider where Florida needs to be in five or 10 or 20 years and what steps we should take now to get there. This committee is where we will do that work," Garrison wrote.

Technology moves from budget to policy

The Advanced Technology & Digital Security Committee replaces the Information Technology Budget & Policy Subcommittee created by outgoing Speaker Danny Perez. Unlike the panel it replaces, the new committee will deal only with policy. Garrison said spending decisions on technology will go to the full Appropriations Committee and its subcommittees.

"The committee will focus on state technology governance and modernization because we need agencies to be capable of implementing the laws we write. It will also cover artificial intelligence and emerging technologies, cybersecurity, digital privacy, data governance, and critical infrastructure security," the memo said.

Who is Sam Garrison

Garrison, an attorney first elected in 2020, represents House District 11 in Clay County and has chaired the House Rules & Ethics Committee, the panel that oversees House rules and member conduct, according to a 2025 News Service of Florida interview. Republicans unofficially tapped him for the speakership in 2021 and formally designated him in October 2025.

In his designation speech, Garrison warned fellow Republicans against complacency after decades of control of the chamber. He told members that if the halls of power appear more interested in "political performance art" than in fighting for a strong economy, safe streets and quality schools, the party needs to self-correct. In the later interview, he described the legislative process as messy by design and said he expected the House and Senate to scrutinize each other's work, even as he called Boyd a close friend. He will preside over the 2027 and 2028 regular sessions.

How the House and Senate rollouts compare

Garrison's approach differs from that of his counterpart across the Capitol rotunda. Senate President-designate Jim Boyd, a Bradenton Republican, has already released the names of senators who will control key committees, along with his leadership team, which includes Sen. Ana Maria Rodriguez as president pro tempore and Sen. Nick DiCeglie as majority leader, as The Florida Press has reported. Garrison's memo dealt only with structure, leaving committee assignments for later.

The House reshuffle also comes days after the Nov. 3 election, in which Republicans lost their two-thirds supermajority in the House while holding a narrower edge in the Senate, as The Florida Press has reported. Without a supermajority, House Republicans will need some Democratic votes for measures that require a two-thirds vote, which could raise the stakes on how committees are structured and who leads them.

What it means for Floridians

Committee structure can sound like inside baseball, but it shapes which issues get hearings and how much scrutiny state agencies face. A standing Public Integrity Committee gives the House a regular forum to question how lobbyists operate, how officials disclose their finances and how conflicts of interest are handled. The technology panel's portfolio, including artificial intelligence, digital privacy and critical infrastructure security, touches issues ranging from state agency computer systems to how personal data is protected.

What's next

The Legislature's organization session, set by the Florida Constitution for the 14th day after the general election, falls on Nov. 17. That is when Garrison is expected to be formally elected speaker and Boyd Senate president. Garrison is expected to announce committee chairs and membership in the coming weeks, ahead of interim committee meetings and the 2027 regular session.